Saint Lucia Day: A Celebration of Light

Hi! It's nice to be back with you and it is so nice to have you here.

I was doing a photoshoot for my website (I will catch up all about my website one of these coming days) about Saint Lucia day and had so much fun with the post and photos I wanted to share it here too. Have you heard of this Christian feast day most popular in Italy and Scandinavia? I remember first being introduced to this celebration while reading with my young daughters about Kirsten from the American Girl Book Collection. I have since learned more about Saint Lucia Day and the history of this meaningful celebration of light and only wish i had long ago included it into our family's holiday traditions.

A beautiful way to celebrate the spirit of the Christmas season, a season of love, peace, and tolerance is to introduce your children to celebrations taking place in different cultures around the world. Learning of new histories and stories, tasting festive foods, and incorporating foreign traditions opens hearts and minds and strengthens family bonds while merrymaking together.

One such fest, most popularly celebrated in Scandinavia and Italy, is St. Lucia’s Day, a traditional Christian feast day held on December 13th. St. Lucia’s Day marks the beginning of the Christmas season as the Celebration of Light originally coinciding with the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. St. Lucia, meaning light in Italian, was said to be beautiful and have light shining from her eyes fueled by her love of Christ emanating both a physical and spiritual radiance about her. 

The story of Saint Lucia, an early-4th-century virgin martyr, is both wonderful and tragic. Lucia was raised to believe in Christ and at a young age dedicated her life to God and serving the poor. In Italy, the year 283 A.D. was a time of great political and social unrest. The emperor of Rome issued demands against those practicing the Christian religion. It is said that Lucia, pardoned because of her family’s royal status, visited Christians hiding in catacombs under the city of Syracuse, Sicily to avoid persecution. She wore a wreath of candles on her head to light her way and free her hands enabling her to carry as much food and water as she was able to attend to those forced to live in desperate conditions. Eventually, Lucia was caught and put to death. 

Each year on December 13th, children take part in commemorating Saint Lucia with a celebration of light amidst the darkest time of the year. In towns and schools around sweden, children dress up to walk in reverent church processions. Girls and boys wear long white nightgowns as a symbol of purity with girls tying a red sash around the waist or shoulders symbolizing the blood of St. Lucia’s martyrdom and wear a wreath or crown of candles on the head. Boys wear white cone-shaped hats decorated with gold stars and carry attendant candles. It is a long-standing ceremonial tribute to this saintly young woman. 

Here are some ideas of ways to celebrate Saint Lucia Day in your home, reliving Lucia’s story. In Swedish homes on December 13th, children awaken early and dress in white nightgowns with the eldest daughter in the family, when she is old enough, tying a red sash about her waist, placing a candle wreath on her head and leading the sibling procession to their darkened parent’s bedroom. They present a breakfast tray of lussekatter (bright saffron buns), pepparkakor (gingersnaps) and hot steaming coffee or glögg, making a thoughtful contribution to the family’s Christmastide traditions. Music plays an important part in Saint Lucia traditions as well with classical Christmas carols such as Oh Come All Ye Faithful and Silent Night sung or played in the background adds to the reverence and calming spirit of the observance of Saint Lucia Day. Here is a playlist of Saint Lucia songs. 

Bringing with it a source of light and goodness, Saint Lucia Day is a valuable ancient and foreign celebration to learn about and introduce to your family’s Christmas holiday traditions.